Seeking a comprehensive approach to riverfront development, Oshkosh planners will seek public input on a vision for riverfront development with a regional planning commission's help.

Riprap is being installed along the bank near the old Boatworks property. Parts of the old 1899 railroad bridge that spanned the Fox River will cross the property joining the sides. (Photo: Oshkosh Northwestern Media Joe Sienkiewicz / Oshkosh Northwestern Media)

Work continues on the Boatworks property making way for Riverwalk. Parts of the old 1899 railroad bridge that spanned the Fox River will cross the property joining the sides. (Photo: Oshkosh Northwestern Media Joe Sienkiewicz / Oshkosh Northwestern Media)

Part of the 1899 railroad bridge that will span the boat works property allowing Riverwalk to proceed on the south side of the Fox River. (Photo: Oshkosh Northwestern Media Joe Sienkiewicz / Oshkosh Northwestern Media)

Work continues on the Boatworks property making way for Riverwalk. Parts of the old 1899 railroad bridge that spanned the Fox River will cross the property joining the sides. (Photo: Oshkosh Northwestern Media Joe Sienkiewicz / Oshkosh Northwestern Media)

Work continues on the Boatworks property making way for Riverwalk. Parts of the old 1899 railroad bridge that spanned the Fox River will cross the property joining the sides. (Photo: Oshkosh Northwestern Media Joe Sienkiewicz / Oshkosh Northwestern Media)

Near the Rivers Senior Living Apartments Riverwalk passes in front of the building and boat docks are available for temporary mooring of boats. (Photo: Oshkosh Northwestern Media Joe Sienkiewicz / Oshkosh Northwestern Media)

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Oshkosh area residents will have three chances in August to share their thoughts about riverfront development with city and regional planners.

The Oshkosh Community Development Department and East Central Wisconsin Regional Planning Commission have scheduled visioning workshops to generate community priorities for developing the Fox River corridor from the Butte des Morts causeway east through the city center.

Promotional material handed out to Oshkosh Plan Commission members during their Tuesday evening meeting indicates the workshops will ask participants to assess what areas of the riverfront they value most, how to better connect nearby neighborhoods with riverfront developments, what needs to be preserved, what uses should be prioritized, and what future developments should look like.

East Central Executive Director Eric Fowle said the community's input would be a key first step toward developing a master plan and general strategy toward riverfront development.

"We want to get the best ideas possible. There will be ideas on both extremes, but that's okay. It's part of the process. We can learn from those kinds of things," Fowle said. "This is not a master plan. A master plan would be the next step, done presumably by the city."

Oshkosh Principal Planner David Buck said the meetings aim to keep the discussion as broad as possible so that people feel comfortable offering up even the smallest suggestions.

"We don't want to hinder or direct anyone. We just want the public's ideas so that when we develop a riverfront plan itself, the community's desires provide the basis for that plan," Buck said. "You don't have to be a planner or a professional to have great ideas about the riverfront."

Plan Commissioners helped launch the comprehensive examination of riverfront priorities last fall when several called for a set of guidelines or standards before approving a development plan for an 80-unit, market-rate apartment building adjacent to The Rivers on Marion Road.

Oshkosh Common Councilor Steve Cummings, who serves on the Plan Commission, said he wants the visioning process to help the community think about the long-term impact it can have on the riverfront.

"We have to think very long and hard about things like architecture and aesthetics," Cummings said. "The river is a major gateway to the community, possibly the most valuable asset we have. I think we have to set the bar high."

The regional planning commission has undertaken similar visioning efforts for other communities in the past. For example, Fowle said ECWRPC staff helped Kimberly when it sought input on redeveloping a large portion of its riverfront.

"We want to get honest ideas and thoughts from people," Fowle said. "This process can generate a lot of possible ideas and themes for the riverfront area."